Debunking Single Parent Ministry Myths

With a growing number of churches within the body of Christ embracing the need to minister to single parents, many questions have arisen (along with a little confusion) regarding the topic of single moms’ ministry. While we wouldn’t dare paint every church, pastor, or even single mom with the same brush, we want to take some time today to answer the most frequently-asked, straight-forward questions we receive as a ministry about single moms support groups, their existence within churches, and much, much more. Take some time to read on about debunking single parent ministry myths.

For statistics on the national single parenting epidemic,and Biblical reference points on why we believe churches should have a single moms ministry, click HERE.

Doesn’t single mom’s ministry support divorce, sex outside marriage, or any other behavior contradictory to the Bible? No. As the body of Christ, we should continue to teach sexual purity and forever-marriage, but … the reality is that we all have fallen short of God’s glory and that doesn’t’ always happen. The stories of single motherhood are as diverse as the congregations in our churches each week. While some single mothers exist through no fault of their own, some have also made mistakes. Regardless of their arrival to the journey, they are here. And we cannot ignore the need to minister and encourage them. Drug addiction programs do not support drug use. They simply meet people where they are. Isn’t that what Jesus did?

Why are you only promoting single mom’s ministry versus single dads ministries or single parents ministries? We recognize that both single moms and dads exist, either as co-parents or sole custodians. And we have great compassion for those dads that are single parents, too. However, statistics continue to support that approximately 80% of single parents in our country with domiciliary custody are women. This is where we have identified the greatest need. We cannot be everything to everyone and want to stay in our lane. We do want to mention that we work with many churches who have opted to do co-ed single parent ministries and also have uncovered single dads’ ministries, which we detail on our site, so we are all for ministering to single dads. It simply isn’t our primary focus.

Single moms’ ministries just create division and further separate single moms, don’t they? No. Ladies Nights or Women’s Ministries or Youth Ministries or Widows Ministries aren’t about separating the body of Christ. They are simply about meeting the needs that are unique to a people group. Single Moms Ministries aren’t about drawing shame or embarrassment to a single mom. They are about showing her she has a place to fit in, a group that is designed just for her needs, and also displays the love of the church to recognize her family as an important part of the church body. We want single moms to be part of various other groups at the church, too — singles, women’s ministry, volunteer opportunities, etc. But whether a single mom has been parenting alone for a few months or for years, the journey is different than dual parenting, and the journey can be lonely. Single moms support groups allow for deep fellowship, the sharing of ideas, and encouragement.

One of the things I have heard you promote is that single moms’ groups support church growth. That doesn’t seem like a very good reason to launch one! Our sole mission as the body of Christ is to populate Heaven and plunder Hell! Our goal is to see souls transformed by the blood of Jesus. There are more than 15 million single mothers that are unchurched in the United States, and many, many are unsaved. Yes, it grows the church, because these women now have a place where they feel they belong. This may very well be the way that the unreached, unchurched single mom in your community comes to Christ. More opportunities equal a greater chance to share the plan of salvation. If a church leader needs to hear that it will grow the church in order for him to get on board, then so be it. It is a bold and grand idea that we, the church, actually be excited about growing the church.

For more information on how to start a single moms’ group in your church, visit HERE.

The Life of a Single Mom is a national, faith-based, nonprofit that is one of the nation’s largest single-mom centric organizations. We focus on equipping churches and communities on how to reach single mothers, establish ministry plans, and grow existing single moms’ programs. We provide curriculum, training, host events, and offer a wide array of single mom products and services to ensure that no single mom walks alone. Currently, we are serving 72,000+ single mothers each year. For more information, visit www.thelifeofasinglemom.com.

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One Comment

This is great! It makes me want to help promote more of a single moms group within my own church. We have a congregation of over 4,000 I believe but their single moms group is hidden in a cluster of “Single women” It seems to be more geared to older women who are widowed. (so they told me when I first inquired about it) Thank you!